After weeks of practices and scrimmages this fall, there are still many uncertainties that surround the UF baseball team.
Gators fans can count on seeing Matt den Dekker in center field, Avery Barnes in left and Brandon McArthur and Josh Adams somewhere in the infield - most likely first and third base, respectively.
While Jonathan Pigott started 39 games out in right field last season, his poor hitting could be why UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said the job was still up in the air.
O'Sullivan appears to favor power-hitting freshman Preston Tucker.
"(Tucker) probably has more raw power than any freshman that I can remember," O'Sullivan said. "We could pencil him into the middle of the order for us."
The biggest question marks for the Gators this spring will be the middle infield spots.
"We've got some players that are very capable, but we got to get across to them that defense is the most important part," O'Sullivan said.
With defense being the key factor in who takes the field, O'Sullivan could be leaning to Clayton Pisani, who tied with McArthur for the fewest errors among players with over 200 chances during his time at second base.
Palm Beach Community College transfer Mike Mooney could claim shortstop, as he was the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year both years at PBCC.
O'Sullivan said replacing the leadership of former shortstop Cole Figueroa - who was taken in the sixth round of the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres - will be difficult, but he is confident the double-play duo he puts on the field will be up to the challenge.
"We will have a middle infield that's going to communicate, talk and take charge," he said. "It's up to them to do what we ask, and whoever ends up being the leader types and playing solid defense will end up playing."
Along with defense, O'Sullivan has preached strong pitching this fall.
The uncertainty of the middle infield could take up to the first game to clear up, but young pitchers have already begun to emerge and appear ready to join the six experienced returnees in the regular duties.
Two freshmen that had good falls were Alex Panteliodis, who had an ERA under 1, and Nick Maronde, who led the team in strikeouts, but O'Sullivan knows that it could be a different story come spring.
"The fall is different than the spring, and sometimes when those lights go on they act different," O'Sullivan said. "Hopefully, they will be able to respond as quickly as we would like."
